Ideas for Seesaw in a Kindergarten Classroom!

I. am. obsessed! To say the least.

I was introduced to Seesaw this year during one of our "Wonderful Wednesday" optional professional development sessions.  An amazing teacher in our school who knows all the new happenings in the technology/education world was holding an info session on Seesaw - an interactive learning journal that you can use in your classroom.

"It even works for kindergarten!"  Is it just me, or do we hear that ALL. THE. TIME. and it never actually works for us.  Let's face it.  Kindergarten is different *in the best way possible*.

So I went.  And I told myself I would walk on out if I didn't think it would work for my kids.  Not all apps are good for 5 and 6 year olds who can't quite read yet.  Well, I stayed, the whole time.

Trust me. This app works with Kinders!  It is super easy to use.  There are endless ways to use it.  It is just FABULOUS! 

(By the way, you can get a free month of Seesaw plus right here!  It has some really awesome features to help you communicate with parents, prepare for conferences, and track student progress!)

 

Here is a list of ways to use Seesaw with your kindergarten students:

(V = video P = photo D = draw)  I often have my students record over any drawings & photos so that they can explain what is going on.

Math:

• Write numbers! (D)
• Draw a picture to represent a number (D)
• Compare two sets of objects & orally explain which is more or less (P)
• Demonstrate 1 to 1 counting & state the number counted (V)
• Count from 1 - 100 by 1's and 10's (V)
• Represent & explain teen numbers by using a group of ten and some ones (P)
• Draw 2-D shapes and record what they are (D)
• Find 2-D and 3-D shapes in the classroom. Name the shape! (P) (V)
• Compare two different shapes & orally explain how they are alike and how they are different (P)
• Place an object somewhere and use positional words to describe where it is (P)
• Solve an equation in a variety of ways (D)
• Explain how they solved an equation (V)
• Show partners of any given number (P)

ELA:

• Finish a sentence.  Give them a starter & have them expand it (V)
• Retell a book (V)
• Draw the characters in a story (D)
• Draw the setting of a story (D)
• Explain how two books are alike and different (V)
• Answer a question by showing evidence from the book (P)
• Read a piece of writing (P)
• Practice writing & reading sight words (D)
• Read a book (V)
• Practice fluency (V)

Other:

• Give weather reports (V)
• Send a message to parents on Valentine's Day (V)
• Tell parents something new they learned that week (V)

I am sure there are 100's of other ways!  How have you used SeeSaw in your classroom?

Reader's Theater in Kindergarten!

So many of the standards that we are required to assess are language standards - can the student speak audibly and clearly?  Can our students form complete thoughts? And so on...

One way that I promote speaking and listening in my classroom is through using Reader's Theater skits!  Stick with me for a few minutes before you think this idea is crazy (and feel free to think it is still crazy at the end of this..but at least get through it!)

 WHAT:  Reader's Theater in my room consists of simple scripts based off of books that children know.  The students get a part (usually just a line) and a prop/character (usually a picture they wear as a necklace) and they recite their line.  The scripts are retelling the popular story you have read a couple times to your kids!

 WHO: The kids are the stars!  Each play features around 10 students. Each student has 1 line.  It makes it quick to get the whole class involved and allows students the chance to participate in a variety of parts!

WHERE: You don't need a stage to use Reader's Theater!  Just use your carpet space!  Go outside!  Any space works!

WHEN: I start with Reader's Theater at the beginning of the school year (YES, when my kids ARE NOT READING!).  Why?  The skits are simple enough, come from familiar stories, have a pattern to them, and include visuals to help the students.  They can do these the first weeks of school!  They are very kindergarten friendly.

WHY: Students need practice "presenting" in front of one another.  Reader's theater covers so many skills that are fabulous for our little learners: Retelling, Listening Skills, Print Concepts, Reading Behaviors, Characters and Setting, Speaking Skills, Following Directions, Expression and A Love for Reading!

HOW:  It is simple!  Find a book you love! Think about the main ideas and create a simple script.  I include a pattern in my scripts as well as images so that all the kids can succeed!  Read the book to the kids (I like to spend a day or two on the book) and then spend the next day (or two) implementing reader's theater!  If you don't want to spend time creating scripts, check out the ones that I already have made!

I Love My Shoes - Based off the popular Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes

I Love My Pants - A twist on the popular Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes

Pig & Pancake - Based off of the book If You Give a Pig a Pancake 

Mouse & Cookie - Based off of the book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

Dog & Donut - Based off the book If You Give a Dog a Donut

Moose & Muffin - Based off the book If You Give a Moose a Muffin

(You can get all the Mouse & Friend Packs in a BUNDLE here!)

The Itsy Bitsy Spider - Based Off of the Nursery Rhyme

Hickory Dickory Dock - Based Off of the Nursery Rhyme

Humpty Dumpty - Based Off of the Nursery Rhyme

Jack and Jill - Based Off of the Nursery Rhyme

Hey Diddle, Diddle - Based Off of the Nursery Rhyme

Little Miss Muffet - Based Off of the Nursery Rhyme

(You can get all the Nursery Rhyme packs in a BUNDLE here!)

Help Your Child

Do you want to help your child (or students) to become a better reader?  Great!  We all have the same goal!  This can be a tricky, and sometimes frustrating, process.  Here are a few tricks, tips, and resources to help your child become a better reader!

Tips & Tricks:

• Don't make them do all the work.  There is a lot of pressure put on kids to read.  If they are the ones forced to read all the time they will learn to hate reading!  We want them to enjoy it!  Continue to read stories to your child!  They are still a kid afterall!
• Take turns!  I read, You Read.  This makes reading more enjoyable. You read a page, then have them read a page.
• Celebrate the little things! Whether your child is reading only a sight word or is guessing words based on pictures, CELEBRATE IT!  We want to raise confident little readers!
• Let them pick!  Kids will love reading if they are reading about topics they enjoy!
• Expose your child to a variety of texts - cereal boxes, cook books, road signs, postcards, magazines, newspapers - text is everywhere - exposure is always good!
• Read every day. Studies show positive correlations between kids academics and exposure to books at home.

Looking for resources?  Check out this packet - Help Your Child Become a Better Reader.

The packet contains:

• Sight word activities
• CVC word activities
• Comprehension Retelling Sheets
• Easy to use resources
• Simple directions for activities
• Kid and Parent Friendly Activities

All of these activities can easily be implemented at home!  I give this to parents in my class and they absolutely love it.  They find it to be great guidance for how to help their child at home.  It is easy to support materials I send home as a teacher (books and sight words) because they have an abundance of resources to help them!

People have said:
"It is a great resources to give to parents." -K.I.
"The parents really appreciate the page about helping their child become better readers." -C.H.

100th Day of School - T-Shirt Ideas

Looking for some inspiration for the 100th day of school?  Here are some 100th day of School T-shirt Ideas for you, your students, or your child!

 1.  Bugs!  "We've Bugged ____ for 100 days!"

 2. Popcorn! "100 Days Popped on By!"

 3. Monster - use 100 wiggle eyes!

 4. Gumballs! "100 Sweet Days"

 5. Hearts "Loving every day of school"

 6. HundRED Days (the blue dots spell "100")

 7. Animals - Use stickers, pawprints, anything animal like "100 Grrreat Days!"

 8. Facts about 100

9. Sports Theme "100 Days have been a Ball!"

 10.  A Tree (use your handprint as the tree)

Bonus: Looking for something a little different - try a hat!

Read more about our 100th Day of School!

18 Flexible Seating Ideas for your Classroom!

Have you tried flexible seating in your classroom yet?  I am sure you have something in your room that would already work as an option!  Flexible seating is all about giving your students a choice where they sit & providing them with alternative seating options that aren't those boring metal chairs!

(affiliate links included)

Here are 18 alternative seating ideas for your classroom!

1. Floor Pillows - I got these through Donors Choose - they came from LakeShore.  Here is another great option that you could cover any way you please! 
   
   
2.  Bath Mats
3. Carpet Squares*
   
4. Futon*
5. Yoga Balls
6. Loveseats or couches*
7. Wobble Chairs - I got these through Donors Choose as well!
   
8. Crate Seats - Super easy to make - I brought one to Lowe's and they cut the wood the exact size for me! How kind of them!  Get a pack of six here!
   
   
9. Body Pillows*
10. Scoop Rockers - I got mine from OverStock but I heard you can find them at Walmart if you are lucky!
    
11. Benches - I bought bookshelves from walmart & put them horizontal to make a bench!
    
12. Clipboards
13. Yoga mats
14. Lap Desks - I found mine at Hobby Lobby (you can call and request specific colors when ordering online)
    
15. Standing Tables*
16. Floor Tables*
17. Sit Spots 
    
18. Lounge Pillows* 
    

[BONUS] 19.  Luv Chicken Seats - these cushions are super light weight, making it easy for kids to carry them from place to place.  They are covered in a material that can be wiped off - perfect for all the germs, glitter, and glue that goes around the classroom!  Purchase yours on Amazon today!

*These ideas can be done FOR FREE!  Carpet Squares - ask a local interior designer or carpet store if they have any extras you can have.  I had a good friend give me her prints that were no longer in stock.  Futon, Loveseats, Couches, Pillows - Ask your parents!  You will be surprised how many people need to get rid of furniture and would love to donate to your classroom!  Standing Tables/Floor Tables - Just adjust the legs on the tables/desk you already have in your classroom - no need to purchase the fancy "standing" desks, you already have them!

What other ideas do you have?  How do you use flexible seating in your classroom?

Dr. Seuss Inspired Snacks!

Read Across America Day is one of my favorite days of the school year.  I don't know what teacher would not love a day all about reading!

In my classroom, we turn the week into Dr. Seuss week!  We do an author study and look at a variety of Dr. Seuss books.  We have activities, worksheets, writing craftivities, and math stations that center around the book.  The kids favorite part is our Dr. Seuss Snack that matches the book!

Here are 5 [fairly simple] Dr. Seuss Inspired Snacks!

The Cat in the Hat inspired Snack! This one is the trickiest, but it is definitely doable!  Marshmallows dipped in white chocolate with a cookie or half an oreo as the base (I have heard banana works instead of marshmallows).  Put red fruit snacks around it.  Dip the base in blue sprinkles!  The kids will love this Cat in the Hat snack!

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish!  This one is simple!  Just make blue jello and put into individual cups!  Place swedish fish in the cups.  Make sure you wait until you are about to serve it or else the fish get slimy and the color wears off (we ended up with fish that looked dead one year...)  The kids loving solving these addition problems on our One Fish, Two Fish day!

Hop on Pop!  Anyone can make this!  It is just popcorn!  We put them in individual bags for the kids!

The Lorax! This is my favorite Dr. Seuss book & the snack is pretty good too!  Just take a nutter butter cookie.  Add the candy eyes and a yellow frosting mustache!  I like to do this long vowel and short vowel word sort during our Lorax day! We also sort real words and silly words on Lorax day (and throughout the rest of the week)!

Green Eggs and Ham! I used to do the green yogurt & vanilla wafer for the kids.  That always got quite the reaction.  Now I do pretzel sticks with melted white chocolate hershey kiss and a green m&m on top!

Looking for some Seuss-Inspired educational activities to go along with this?
Here is a long and short vowel word sort!
Here is a silly word and real word CVC sort!
Here are interactive addition problems!

Flexible Seating in Kindergarten - Floor Pillows!

I recently completed a project on Donors Choose and received funding for 4 giant floor pillows.  I had our amazing custodian remove the legs off of one of my tables & the table quickly turned in to a cute and short table for the little busy bodies in my classroom.

The giant floor pillows arrived, and let me emphasize the word GIANT, and they have been placed at the low table.  The kids are in LOVE, as am I!  They kids pick where they sit.  They have a handful of options (carpet squares, wobble chairs, scoop rockers, regular chairs, floor pillows, clipboards, etc.).  The floor pillows have constantly been occupied (sometimes even by the teacher!).

The kids love working on the floor.  At least 75% off my class is on the floor during writing time, it is where a lot of them do their best work.

But why pillows?  Think about it.  Where do you work best?  For most of us, it is not sitting on a cold metal chair.  It is likely somewhere that we consider comfortable - our bed, the couch, Starbucks, etc.  Kids are the same way!

Here is a quick peek at how I use Lakeshore's Giant Comfy Pillows as an alternative seat in my kindergarten classroom!

I know Lakeshore's Pillows are quite pricey, but in my opinion, well worth the price.  I have had them for 2 years and they are still super fluffy.  Other pillows, that tend to be cheaper, don't last as long, but are great to try out and see if it is something would work in your classroom! Here are some other options that are not as expensive! (affiliate links).

Bean Bag Type Chair Pillow

Square Pillow

Lounger Round Pillow

Body Pillow - I used these for 2 years in my classroom!  I had to buy covers for them.  They didn't stay as fluffy as I would have liked, but it didn't bother the kiddos.  It is time to replace them now though!